Thursday, May 23, 2013

Gramercy Quartet

Those E-Z Pawn ads on the subway, explaining what a pawn shop is, amaze me, but I guess there aren't so many left in the city. This one looks run-down, but a steady trickle of customers went in and out while I was outside. Though my English accent has eroded over the years, I still haven't been able to master the subtly different American pronunciations of "pawn" and "porn", and this has caused much merriment at my expense. The Gramercy sign is a lovely one, with the looping & plain fonts, the absent "r" & the perilous slant of the "k". Hiller's office, a perfect partner, is a low-key blinds closed kind of a joint. Elegant - a sweet minor detail, & the American Dream - more a sign of hopes curtailed than anything else.